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^anual for Home Storage, 

Pickling, Fermentation and 

Salting Vegetables 

With directions for Making Potato Starch, 
Fruit Pastes, Butters, Etc. 

1917 

PUBLISHED t'.Y THE : 

National Emergency Food Garden Commission 
210-220 Maryland Building, Washington, D. C. 

STORING VEGETABLES FOR WINTER 

As a war time measure no form of Food Conservation is more 
important than the winter storage of vegetables. Canning and 
drying are essential to the Nation's food supply, and should be prac- 
ticed to the fullest possible extent, but they do not take the place of 
plain storage. To keep vegetables in their natural state is the 
simplest form of preparation for winter needs. By taking proper: 
precaution against decay and freezing an abundant supply of certain : « 
kinds of fresh vegetables may be kept at minimum expenditure of 
money and effort. 

THE NEED FOR STORAGE 

The importance of makine. provi- and military populations of the Allied 

sion for winter food needs was never Nations. Every pound of vegetables 

so great as this year. Every pound stored away for home uses will re- 

of foodstuffs that can be spared for lease food for export. A nation at 

export will be needed in Europe for war is a nation with a food problem, 

feeding American troops and to pre- A nation with a food shortage is a 

vent the starvation of the domestic nation in peril. For this reason it is 

Copyright 1917. by the ^ KT „ 

National Emergency * orni No - 9 - 

Food Garden Commission 



of vital importance that no vege- 
tables of high food value be allowed 
to go to waste- 

The home gardening campaign 
conducted by the National Emer- 
gency Food Garden Commission this 
year resulted in the creation of a vast 
new planting area. More than three 
million gardens have been planted 
where none grew before. The output 
of these gardens is greatly in excess 
of immediate needs. Unless proper 
steps are taken to safeguard the sur- 
plus the waste will be prodigious. 
This Commission has already stimu- 
lated nation-wide activity in canning 
and drying. The purpose of this 
booklet is to arouse similar interest 
in the storage of vegetables and in 
other forms of winter preparedness. 

Storage is an essential factor In 
Food Conservation. Households 
which fail to store their own supplies 
will find themselves forced to pay 
winter tribute to the wideawake busi- 
ness concerns which have practiced 
storage on a commercial scale. By 
storing vegetables during the season 
of lowest prices even the household 
which has no home garden can save 
much of the cost that would be in- 
volved in winter purchases and inci- 
dentally make important contribu- 
tion to the national food supply. 

WHAT AND HOW TO STORE. 

There are many vegetables which 
may be stored to good advantage. 
Included in the list are late potatoes, 
beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, 
sweet potatoes, onions, celery, cab- 
bage, salsify, dry beans and dry lima 
beans. For some of these satisfac- 
tory storage places are provided by 
the pantry shelf or attic. For others 
the cellar is the right place. For 
others outdoor storage is preferable. 
This may take the form of pits or 
banks, or it may be done in hillside 
caves or cellars. Especially good re- 



sults may be obtained if several 
neighboring families will form com- 
munity clubs to provide storage facili- 
ties- In this way very complete pro- 
vision may be made for handling 
winter supplies at slight trouble and 
expense to the individual household. 

CELLAR STORAGE. 

In a house heated by a cellar fur- 
nace vegetables may be stored in the 
cellar. Partition off a small room and 
if possible see that this room has at 
least one outside window for tempera- 
ture regulation. An earth floor is de- 
sirable, but in a cellar with a concrete 
floor the purpose may be served by 
covering the concrete surface with 
two or three inches of sand, which 
should be sprinkled with water from 
time to time. In this room may be 
stored potatoes, beets, carrots, par- 
snips, turnips and salsify. Put them 
in bins or in boxes, baskets, slat 
crates or barrels. A bin should hold 
not more than two or three bushels. 
The vegetables should be harvested 
when the ground is dry and should 
lie outdoors until any moisture on 
them has evaporated. Remove the 
tops from beets, turnips, carrots and 
salsify. In cellar storage beets, car- 
rots and turnips may be buried in 
damp sand to good purpose. Rad- 
ishes harvested late in the fall should 
be stored in a cool place and covered 
with three inches of moist sand or 
they may be buried in the yard unde? 
six inches of soil. The cellar room 
also may be used for the storage ot 
fresh fruits and canned goods. In 
storing potatoes it should be remem- 
bered that the purpose is to protect 
them from great changes of tem- 
perature and from light. Even a 
small amount of light damages the 
food value of potatoes. There should 
be enough moisture to keep the po- 
tatoes from wilting, but not enough 



AUG 30 1917 



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to cause moisture to gather on the 
surface. 

The temperature of such a storage 
room should be carefully controlled 
prevent wide fluctuations- A con- 
stant temperature around 40 degrees 
F. is desirable. It should not be al- 
lowed to go below 32 degrees or 
above 50 degrees during the period 
of storage. 

Potatoes should not be washed. Ir 
they begin sprouting in the spring 
all the shoots should be rubbed off. 
The bins should be examined occa- 
sionally and any rotting potatoes re- 
moved to prevent the spread of in- 
fection. 

PIT STORAGE. 

For outdoor storage make a pit 6 
or 8 inches deep and as large as 
needed, in a well-drained place. Line 
this with hay, straw, leaves or similar 
material and place the vegetables on 
this lining in a conical pile. Cover 
the vegetables with several inches of 
straw, leaves or something similar 
and cover this with enough earth to 
prevent freezing. In cold climates 
the earth covering should be a foot 
or more in thickness. It is well to 
make several small pits rather than 
one large one, for the reason that 
when a pit has been cnce opened the 
entire contents should be removed. 
This form of storage is used for late 
potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips, par- 
snips, late cabbage and salsify. It is 
well to store several varieties of 
vegetables in one pit so that the 
opening of a single pit will afford a 
supply of all of them. In following 
this plan it is desirable to separate 
the various crops by the use of 
straw or leaves. When the pit has 
been opened the vegetables may be 
placed in the basement room and used 
as needed- 

For late varieties of cabbage the 
pit should be long and narrow. The 



cabbages are placed in rows with 
heads down and covered with dirt. 
No other covering is needed. The re- 
moval of a portion of this supply 
does not disturb the remainder. 
Cabbages may be stored in the cellar 
in boxes or barrels of earth or sand, 
or they may be placed in a cool cellar 
on the floor, with roots up. 

Cabbage may also be stored by 
placing the whole plant in a trench, 
roots down, and placed closely to- 
gether. The roots should be covered 
with dirt and dirt should be banked 
over the stalks to a depth of several 
inches. Place two feet of straw or 
other material over the pit. 

Mature heads of cabbage of long- 
keeping sorts, such as Danish Bull 
Head, may be cut from the plant and 
stored one layer deep on shelves in 
cool, frost-proof cellars or outbuild- 
ings. 

In storing celery in a pit or trench, 
the plants are set side by side as 
close as they may be packed and wide 
boards set up along the outside of 
the pit. Dirt is banked against these 
boards and the top covered with corn 
fodder or similar covering. If celery 
is kept in the row where grown the 
earth should be banked around the 
plants with the approach of cold 
weather. For freezing weather bring 
the dirt to the tops of the plants 
and cover the ridge with coarse 
manure, straw or fodder, using stakes 
or boards to hold the covering in 
place. Only late maturing andrlate 
planted celery can be safely stored. 

OUTDOOR CELLAR. 

An outdoor cellar makes a gooo 
storage place- In cold climates this 
should be partially underground. A 
side-hill location is desirable for ease 
in handling the vegetables. To make 
such a cellar dig an excavation and 
in this erect a frame by setting posts 
in rows near the dirt walls. Saw 



these posts off at uniform height and 
place plates on their tops. On these 
plates place rafters. Board up com- 
pletely with the exception of a place 
for the door. The whole should be 
covered with dirt and sod, and in cold 
climates added protection should be 
given by a layer of straw, fodder or 
similar material. A dirt floor is best, 
as some moisture is desirable. This 
form of storage is especially good 
for the joint use of several families. 
= On a more pretentious scale cellars 
of this nature may be made of brick, 
stone or concrete. Such cellars af- 
ford practically perfect storage room 
for late potatoes, carrots, parsnips, 
beets, turnips and salsify. 



VARIOUS METHODS. 

Permanent cold frames, with deep 
pits, may also be used to advantage 
in storing vegetables if the drainage 
is made thorough. After the frames 
are filled the sash should be covered 
with boards and the outside banked 
with soil or manure. As the weather 
becomes severe a covering of straw 
or mats is necessary. This covering 
should be heavy enough to prevent 
freezing. 

Cauliflower and brussels sprouts 
which have not matured may be 
taken up and planted in shallow boxes 
of soil in a light place in the cellar. 
If kept well watered they will ma- 
ture for winter use. 

Onions require a cool, dry place. 
They should be cured by being ex- 
posed to the air for a few days in 
the shade. The tops should be re- 
moved before storing. Keep them in 
baskets, trays or other holders which 
let the air circulate. Onions are not 
damaged by temperatures slightly 
below freezing, and for storing them 
the attic is better than the cellar. 

Squashes are susceptible to cold 
and moisture, and for that reason 
should be stored in a dry place where 
the temperature will approximate 50 



degrees F. Squashes may be kept by 
placing them in a single layer on a 
dry floor and covering with rugs or 
carpets, but care must be taken that 
the stems are not broken off and that 
they do not become bruised before 
storing. 

Parsley may be saved by trans- 
planting into flower pots late in the 
fall. These should be kept in win- 
dows where they will receive sun- 
shine. 

Tomatoes may be saved by pulling 
up the entire plant before freezing 
weather. The vines should be sus- 
pended by the roots in a cool cellar. 
The tomatoes will gradually ripen. 

Sweet Potatoes — In storing sweet 
potatoes the important points to be 
kept in mind are that the potatoes 
must be well matured before they 
are dug; they must be handled witn 
extreme care; they must be allowed 
to dry or cure thoroughly before 
storage, and they must be kept at an 
even temperature. A test for ma- 
turity is to cut or break a sweet po- 
tato and expose it to the air for a 
few minutes. If the surface of the 
cut or break dries the potato may be 
considered mature, but if moisture re- 
mains on the surface it is not prop- 
erly ripe. In sections where frosts 
come early digging should take, place 
about the time the first frost is ex- 
pected, without regard to maturity- 
Care in handling is necessary to pre- 
vent bruising and decay. Curing is 
done by keeping them at an even tem- 
perature of 80 to 85 degrees F. for a 
week or ten days after harvesting, to 
dry off the moisture. The room in 
which this is done must be ventilated 
in order that the moisture-laden air 
may escape. 

For storing sweet potatoes on a 
large scale a specially constructed 
house is desirable. For home 
storage the roots may be kept near 
the furnace in the cellar or near the 
furnace chimney in a vacant upstairs 
room or in the attic. The room 
should be kept fairly warm. After 
curing the temperature should be 
maintained around 55 degrees F. 



POTATO STARCH AND ITS USES 

To prevent tremendous waste in potatoes and to create an important food 
supply which will decrease the drain on the nation's available wheat and flour, 
the American home should avail itself of the simple methods developed by 
modern science for the making of Potato Starch. This is easily done in any 
household- Its advantages are: 

Utilizing culls, bruised, poorly developed and otherwise useless 
potatoes, of which it is estimated that probably 75,000,000 bushels go to 
waste in the United States each year. 

Providing a healthful, appetizing food product which can be used in 
many ways where flour is now used. 

No equipment is needed other than a cylindrical grater or sausage-grinder, 
a pan or galvanized vessel for holding the potatoes, another vessel into which 
the grating or grinding is done, and another into which to empty the gratings; 
water in abundance and cloths for wiping. If a sausage-grinder is used, the 
potatoes should be cut into small pieces before grinding. 

The potatoes should be thoroughly washed with the use of a scrubbing 
brush. Do not remove the skins. After grating or grinding into a dish-pan 
held on the lap or on a low table, empty the potatoes into another vessel 
until it is half full or slightly more. Pour over these gratings fresh, clean 
water, stirring thoroughly in order that the entire mass may be saturated. 
After this has stood for a while remove the particles of peelings and other 
material floating on the surface. Add more water, stirring well, and let stand 
over night, to allow the starch granules to settle to the bottom and all pulp or 
peelings to rise to the surface or settle on the top of the pile. The water and 
the pulp and skins should be removed carefully and the dark coat scraped 
from the top of the starch formation, with care to remove none of the starch. 
Then pour fresh water over the starch, stirring well, and allow this to stand 
for several hours, or over night. The water and pulp should be removed, as 
before, and water again poured over the starch. Repeat this process until the 
starch is perfectly white and is free from pulp, sand or sediment. The finished 
product resembles wheat flour in whiteness and smoothness. 

A short-cut in the process may be achieved by straining pulp, starch and 
water through a cheese-cloth or cloth of even finer mesh, immediately after the 
first rinsing. 

RECIPES FOR USING. Frozen Custard.— Thin custard, made 

as directed in the preceding para- 

Boiled Custard. — Beat 4 eggs slightly graph, may be frozen with or with- 

and add Yz teaspoonful of salt and 8 out the addition of fruit, fresh or 

tablespoonfuls of sugar Take 1 quart canned. Serve with lady fingers, 

of milk. Mix 4 tablespoonfuls of po- made as directed in a subsequent 

tato starch with a little of the milk, paragraph. 

add the remainder of the milk and Lemon Pudding. — Take the yolks of 4 

cook in double boiler for 5 minutes, eggs, and after slightly beating them, 

or until thickened. Pour slowly over add >4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls 

the eggs, stirring steadily. Again of butter, the juice and grated rind 

cook in double boiler for a few mln- of 2 lemons. Mix 8 tablespoonfuls 

utes, taking care to see that it does not of potato starch in a small quantity 

cook long enough to curdle. Add 1 of cold water and add gradually 1 

teaspoonful of vanilla just before quart of scalded milk. To this starch 

taking from stove. To make a thicker water and milk add the other ingre- 

custard use a little more starch. dients and cook in double boiler until 



thickened, with constant stirring. 
Beat the whites of the 4 eggs until 
stiff, add to the pudding, pour into a 
mold and serve with cream and sugar 
after chilling. 

Fruit Blanc Mange. — Take 1 pint of 
fruit juice, sweetened to taste, and 
place in saucepan over fire until it 
boils. Mix ZYz tablespoonfuls of po- 
tato starch with small quantity of cold 
water, add to fruit juice, and pour 
into a mold for cooling. Serve with 
boiled custard, made as directed, or 
with whipped cream and sugar. 

Lady Fingers. — Beat the whites of 3 
eggs. When stiff and dry add grad- 
ually 1-3 cup powdered sugar and con- 
tinue beating- Add volks of 2 eggs, 
beaten thick, and then add J4 table- 
spoonful of vanilla. Then cut and fold 
in 4 tablespoonfuls of potato starch 
into which has been mixed 1-8 tea- 
spoonful of salt. To force the batter 
into proper shape (4J4 inches long 
and 1 inch wide) use a pastry bag 
and tube or a cornucopia made of 
paper, squeezing the batter onto a 
tin sheet covered with unbuttered 
paper. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in mod- 
erate oven. 

Potato Starch Angel Cake. — Beat 
until frothy the whites of 8 eggs, add 
1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar and 
keep on beating until stiff and flaky. 
Add 1 cup of fine granulated sugar, 
gradually. Cut and fold in ^4 cup of 



potato starch, into which has been 
mixed J4 teaspoonful of salt,' the 
combination having been sifted sev- 
eral times. Add ^4 teaspoonful of 
vanilla. Bake 45 to 50 minutes in mod- 
erate oven or in an unbuttered angel- 
cake pan. When cake begins to 
brown, after rising, cover with but- 
tered paper. The cake should be 
loosened around edges and turned 
out at once after baking. 

Potato Starch Lemon Pie. — Mix 4 
tablespoonfuls potato starch and Yi, 
cup of sugar. Add Y\ cup of boiling 
water, stirring steadily. Cook for 5 
minutes. Add 1 teaspoonful of but- 
ter, yolks of 2 eggs and 3 tablespoon- 
fuls of lemon juice and the grated 
rind of one lemon. Pour the mixture 
in pie crust already cooked, and use 
the whites of the eggs for meringue, 
which should be browned in oven 
after applying. 

Potato Starch Sponge Cake. — Take 
the yolks of 6 eggs. Beat until thick 
and lemon colored- Add 1 cup sugar 
gradually and keep on with beating. 
Add 1 tablespoonful of lemon juice, 
the grated rind of J^ lemon and the 
whites of the eggs, beaten stiff and 
dry. When the whites have become 
mixed with the yolks cut and fold in 
34 cup of potato starch mixed with ^4 
teaspoonful of salt. Bake 1 hour in 
slow oven, using deep, narrow pan or 
angel-cake pan. 



FERMENTATION AND SALTING 



The use of brine in preparing vege- 
tables for winter use has much to 
commend it to the household. The 
fermentation method is in general use 
in Europe, and is becoming better 
known in this country as a means of 
making sauerkraut and other food 
products which supply acid diet, 
without requiring the containers 
used for canning. No cooking is re- 
quired by this process Salt brine is 
the one requirement. The product 
may be kept in any container that is 
not made of metal and is water-tight. 
The vital factor In preserving the 
material is the lactic acid which de- 
velops in fermentation. This acid 
has good food value. An important 
feature is that vegetables thus pre- 
pared may be served as they are or 
they may be freshened by soaking in 
clear water and cooked as fresh vege- 
tables. 



Sauerkraut. — The outside leaves and 
the core of the cabbage should be 
removed and the rest shredded very 
finely. Either summer growth or fall 
cabbage may be used. Immediately 
pack into a barrel, keg or tub, which 
is perfectly clean, or into an earthen- 
ware crock holding four or five gal- 
lons. The smaller containers are rec- 
ommended for household use. While 
packing distribute salt as uniformly 
as possible, using 1 pound of salt to 40 
pounds of cabbage. When the con- 
tainer is almost filled press the cab- 
bage down as tightly as possible and 
apply a board cover which will go 
inside the holder. For this cover se- 
lect wood free from pitch, such as 
basswood. Glazed plates make ex- 
cellent covers. On top of this cover 
place stones or other weights (using 
flint or granite and avoiding the use 
of limestone or sandstone). These 
weights serve to force the brine above 



the cover. Allow fermentation to 
proceed for 10 days or two weeks, if 
the room is warm. In a cellar or 
other cool place three to five weeks 
may be required. Skim off the film 
which forms when fermentation 
starts and repeat this daily if neces- 
sary to keep this film from becoming 
scum. When gas bubbles cease to 
arise the fermentation is complete. 
If there is scum it should be re- 
moved. As a final step pour melted 
paraffin over the brine until it forms 
a layer from J4 to ^4 inch thick to 
prevent the formation of scum, if the 
weather is warm or the storage place 
is not well cooled. This is not neces- 
sary unless the kraut is to be kept a 
long time. The kraut may be used 
as soon as the bubbles cease to rise. 

Sauerkraut is also prepared by the 
salting process. The outside leaves 
and hard core of the cabbage should 
be removed and the rest shredded 
very finely. Salt should be uniformly 
distributed during the filling process 
as described below at the rate of 1 
pound to 4 gallons of the shredded 
cabbage. Line the keg or crock on 
the bottom and sides with the large 
leaves of the cabbage, put in a layer 
of shredded slaw three inches deep 
and sprinkle salt over it. Fill up 
the keg or crock in this way, keeping 
a lining of the large leaves at the 
sides. Pound mass down until very 
compact, cover with leaves and 
wooden cover made to fit inside of 
keg and then put a heavy weight on 
the cover, so that all the cabbage 
will be under the brine all the time. 
Set the keg or crock in a cool place 
for 24 hours to allow brine to form. 
Skim occasionally and see that there 
is plenty of brine. During the warm 
weather, the time of curing will be 
about 3 weeks, when the kraut will be 
ready for use or for canning. 

To can kraut made in this way, fill 
jars tightly, partially tighten tops 
and sterilize for an hour and a half 
in hot water bath. After steriliza- 
tion, remove jars and tighten tops 
and invert to cool in a place free from 
draught. 

The kraut may be kept in the 
holder in which it is made by cov- 
ering with melted paraffin as pre- 
viously described. This should be 
doneat the end of the 24 hours after 
packing. 



Sauerkraut may be served at the 
table in several appetizing ways. It 
may be served raw, fried, boiled with 
various meats and combinations of 
vegetables, and baked with certain 
meats. It makes excellent salad. 

Various other vegetables may be 
prepared by this process. Such 
greens as spinach, kale and chard are 
especially important. In applying 
the method to string beans the beans 
should be cut into two-inch lengths. 

To prepare these vegetables for 
use the brine should be drained off 
and the vegetables soaked in clear 
cold water for several hours, with 
one or two changes of water. They 
may then be cooked as fresh vege- 
tables, with at least one change of 
water while cooking. 

To Ferment Cucumbers — Wash them 
if necessary and pack them into a 
water-tight receptacle, such as a bar- 
rel, keg or crock which is perfectly 
clean. Holders made of yellow or 
pitch pine should not be used, as they 
will give an unpleasant flavor. On 
the bottom of the receptacle should 
be placed a layer of dill weed and a 
small quantity of mixed spices, vary- 
ing with the size of the holder- An- 
other layer of dill weed and spices 
should be made when the container 
is half full, and another near the 
top, when the container is nearly 
filled. The contents should be cov- 
ered with an inch layer of beet tops 
or grape leaves to protect them from 
spoilage that may occur in the sur- 
face during the process of fermenta- 
tion. Place a board cover on the 
contents and press it down with 
weights of brick or stone, avoiding 
the use of sandstone and limestone. 
For the brine use 1 pound of salt to 
each 10 quarts of water and to this 
add two-thirds of a quart of vinegar. 
Pour into the holder enough brine to 
cover the contents. After allowing 
this mixture to stand for 24 hours 
make the holder air-tight. One of the 
most effective means of doing this is 
to cover the surface with very hot, 
melted paraffin, making a layer over 
the cover and around the weight. 
(With crocks cover the top with a 
cloth soaked in paraffin, putting the 
cover in place before the paraffin 
hardens). Another method for use 
with barrels or kegs is to pack the 
container as full as possible, place 
board cover and weights as above 



and allow the contents to stand for 
24 hours before putting the head of 
the barrel or keg in place. This al- 
lows the early gases to escape. Re- 
move board cover and weights and 
place the head tightly in position. 
Bore an inch hole in the head and fill 
the holder completely with brine. 
Let stand until bubbling stops, adding 
more brine if space develops. Then 
plug the vent tightly. 

Green Tomatoes. — The process for 
green tomatoes is the same as that 
for cucumbers. 



Beets and String Beans. — Remove the 
strings from beans. Beets should be 
washed thoroughly and packed whole- 
Spices may be used, as with cucum- 
bers, but these may be omitted if the 
vegetables are to be freshened by 
soaking, when they are to be used. 
The method is the same as with cu- 
cumbers. 

Peas. — Peas should be shelled and 
treated as beans are prepared. Small 
crocks or jars are best for storing 
peas. 



PICKLING VEGETABLES 



Pickling is an important branch of 
home preparedness for the winter 
months. Instructions for some of the 
most commonly used methods are 
given herewith. In pickling, such 
vegetables as tomatoes and cucum- 
bers are usually soaked over night in 
a brine made of 1 cup of salt and 1 
gallon of water. In the morning the 
brine is drained off and the vegetables 
put through the specified pickling 
process. This gives a firmer product. 

Gresn Tomato Pickle — Take 4 quarts 
of green tomatoes, 4 small onions and 
4 green peppers. Slice the tomatoes 
and onions thin. Sprinkle over them 
J/2 cup of salt and leave overnight in 
crock or enameled vessel. The next 
morning drain off the brine. Into a 
separate vessel put 1 quart of vinegar, 
1 level tablespoonful each of black 
pepper, mustard seed, celery seed, 
cloves, allspice and cinnamon and 54 
cup of salt. Bring to a boil and then 
add the prepared tomatoes, onions 
and peppers. Let boil for 20 minutes. 
Fill jars and seal while hot. 

Pickled Onions. — Take small white 
onions of uniform size, peel, cover 
with fresh water and let stand for 
two days, changing water at end of 
first 24 hours. Wash thoroughly and 
put into brine for four days, chang- 
ing brine at end of second day. Re- 
move from brine and place in boiling 
water for 10 minutes, then place in 
cold water for two hours. Add a few 
red peppers and garnish with sprigs 
of mace and pack into jars. Fill jars 
to overflowing with spiced vinegar 
which has stood for several days wit 1 " 1 



spice bags left in it. Place in hot 
water bath for 20 minutes at 180 de- 
grees F. (simmering). 

To make spiced vinegar take 14 
gallon vinegar, iy 2 tablespoonfuls 
each of mustard seed and celery seed, 
1 tablespoonful each of cinnamon and 
salt, y 2 cup of grated horseradish and 
1 cup of sugar. 

Chowchow. — Take % peck each of 
green tomatoes and small onions, 3 
cauliflowers, 3 cucumbers, 6 large red 
peppers and ^4 peck of yellow string 
beans. Chop fine. Place overnight 
in brine made of 5 pints of water 
and 1 pound of salt. The next morn- 
ing bring brine and vegetables to a 
boil for a few minutes. In separate 
vessel bring to a boil 1 gallon of 
cider vinegar, to which add a paste 
made with a small quantity of water, 
Y\ pound of ground mustard, % 
ounce turmeric, 1 cup brown sugar 
and 2 tablespoonfuls flour. To this 
paste add }4 ounce celery seed, place 
in the vinegar and boil until it be- 
gins to thicken. Drain brine from 
vegetables, place them in another 
saucepan and pour the boiling vine- 
gar mixture over them. Mix well, 
fill jars and seal while hot. The 
chowchow should be about the con- 
sistency of thick cream. Flour may 
be added to thicken. Celery or cab- 
bage may be used instead of cauli- 
flower. 

Piccalilli. — Chop up t peck of green 
tomatoes with 8 large onions. Mix 
thoroughly with 1 cup of salt and 
allow to stand overnight. The next 
morning drain thoroughly and pour 



over ihem 1 quart of vinegar and half 
a gallon of water. After boiling for 
20 minutes in an enameled kettle, 
drain through a sieve. Put the mix- 
ture back into the kettle and add 2 
quarts of vinegar, 1 pound of sugar, 
Y. pound of white mustard seed, 2 
level tablespoonfuls each of ground 
black pepper and ground cinnamon, 1 
level tablepoonful each of ground 
ginger, whole allspice and whole 
cloves and Y teaspoonful of ground 
cayenne pepper. Boil the whole 15 
minutes and stir frequently. Put 
into jars while hot and seal imme- 
diately. 

Mustard Pickle. — This is an excellent 
combination. The ingredients re- 
quired are 1 pint of whole small cu- 
cumbers, not over 2J4 inches long, 1 
pint sliced cucumbers, 1 pint small 
whole onions, 1 cup of string beans, 
3 green sweet peppers, 3 red sweet 
peppers and 1 pint green fig tomatoes 
or 1 pint cauliflower. The vegetables 
should be cut before they are meas- 
ured, the tomatoes into halves, the 
string beans into lengths of lY 
inches and peppers should be chopped. 
Let the vegetables stand overnight 
in brine. Freshen in clear, cold 
water for two hours, and then allow 
them to stand for 15 minutes in liquor 
made of water and vinegar, equal 
parts. Then scald in the same liquor. 
For the mustard dressing take 1 quart 
of vinegar, 4 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1 
cup of sugar, 3 tablespoonfuls of 
powdered mustard, Y tablespoonful 
of tumeric and 1 tablespoonful of 
celery seed. Before adding the vine- 
gar rub all the ingredients together 
until smooth, add the hot vinegar 
slowly, stirring the mixture into a 
smooth paste. Cook over a pan of 
water, continuing to stir until the 
sauce thickens- Drain the vegetables 
thoroughly and pour the hot dressing 
over them, mixing well). Pack in 
jars that have been sterilized and 
allow the jars to stand in. hot water 
bath for 20 minutes at 180 degrees F. 
(simmering). 

Chopped Pickle. — After chopping, 
place in a vessel 1 gallon each of 
green tomatoes and cabbage, Y* gal- 
lon of onions, 24 large green peppers 
and 12 large red peppers. Cover witl? 
water, add 1 pint of salt and leave 
overnight. The next morning place 
the mixture in a bag and allow to 



drain for 24 hours. After draining 
add 1 pint of white mustard seed. 
Boil 1 gallon of vinegar and 1^4 
pounds of brown sugar in another 
vessel and pour this while hot over 
the chopped vegetables. Cook the 
whole for 15 minutes, place in jars 
and seal while hot. 

Tomato Relish. — After scalding and 
skinning 15 ripe tomatoes, pare, core 
and cut into small pieces 6 sour ap- 
ples. Peel 5 onions of medium size. 
Chop these very fine and place the 
mixture in a saucepan with 3 green 
peppers or 1 level teaspoonful of black 
pepper, 2 level tablesponfuls of salt, 
Ys teaspoonful of cayenne pepper 
and Y* pint of vinegar. Boil slowly 
for IY2 hours. Place the relish in 
jars and seal while hot. 

Chili Sauce. — After scalding and 
peeling tomatoes that are sound and 
red ripe, chop them into small pieces. 
This may be done by use of a coarse 
meat chopper or by pressing them 
through a half-inch screen. Take 36 
pounds of tomatoes, 2 pounds of 
chopped onions and 10 ounces of ripe 
bullnose peppers, with stems and 
seeds removed. If the mixture is too 
mild, add a small amount of cayenne 
pepper. Put into a kettle of granite 
or enameled ware and boil down to 18 
pounds. It is well to let the tomatoes 
stand for a while after chopping and 
allow some of the juice to be ex- 
tracted, after which this juice should 
be concentrated by boiling down be- 
fore the other ingredients are added. 
This overcomes the tendency of the 
tomatoes to settle on. the bottom of 
the kettle and burn. During all the 
time of boiling the mixture should be 
stirred carefully. When the mixture 
has been concentrated to 18 pounds 
add 2Y4 pounds of cider vinegar and 
9 ounces of salt. Then concentrate 
the whole to 18J4 pounds and add 6 
pounds of sugar. Boil "> to 10 minutes 
over slow fire and place immediately 
in sterilized jars, sealing while hot. 
It is best to sterilize the filled jars 
by allowing them to stand in hot 
water bath for 30 minutes with water 
at 212 degrees F. (boiling:'). 

.Tomato Ketchup. — -The tomatoes 
should be red ripe. Small and broken 
fruit or extra juice from canning may 
be used. The green and yellowish 
parts impair flavor and color and 
should be removed. Cook thorough- 



ly and put through colander or sieve. 
For every gallon of pulp use 2 table- 
spoonfuls of salt, 4 tablespoonfuls of 
sugar, 1 tablespoonful each of pow- 
dered mustard, allspice, cloves, cinna- 
mon and pepper, one pint of good 
vinegar and two sm?ll red peppers, 
sliced and with seeds removed. The 
spices should be confined in a spice 



bag. After cooking iy 2 hours add 
the vinegar and cook the whole until 
thick. If the cooking is rapid the 
color will be best, although care 
must be taken not to allow scorching. 
Pour immediately into hot sterilized 
bottles, insert corks tightly, and, 
after cooling cover stopper with seal- 
ing wax or dip the mouth of the bot- 
tle in melted paraffin- 



SOME STAPLE PRODUCTS 



Apple Butter. — Take five gallons of 
sweet or sterilized cider and boil it 
down one-half, skimming occasionally 
during boiling. Wash, pare, quarter 
and core apples, using them in pro- 
portion, of two parts of apples to one 
part of boiled cider. Boil slowly for 
four to six hours, stirring often to 
prevent burning. When the butter 
is two-thirds done add about one- 
pound of brown sugar to each gallon 
and spice to taste. If the apples are 
a little over-ripe add lemon or vine* 
gar to give acid taste. Pack in ster- 
ilized containers and seal the topi 
tightly or cover with paper or cloth 
coated with paraffin. 

Peanut Butter. — This is a very nutri- 
tious article of food and easily 
prepared in the home. A small meat 
grinder is all that is needed for re- 
ducing the peanuts to pulpy paste. 
The peanuts should be roasted before 
grinding. This may be done either 
before or after the shells are re- 
moved, using an oven only moder- 
ately hot and stirring frequently. 
Rub off the skins after roasting and 
remove the small germs or hearts. 
This latter may be done by screening 
the kernels. The grinding should be 
done with the finest plate on the 
grinder and the tension should be 
tightly screwed up so as to produce 
fine pulp. If necessary, run the pulp 
through the grinder a second time. 
Nothing more than salt need be add- 
ed, although olive oil or peanut oil 
may be used to thin the butter if 
desired. If the paste-like condition of 
peanut butter is objectionable beat in 
an equal quantity of boiling water. 



This will double the bulk of the pea- 
nut butter, leaving it of the same con- 
sistency. It will be necessary in this 
case to add additional salt. 

Gingered Pears. — The fruit chosen 
should be a trifle under ripe. After 
peeling and coring, cut the pears into 
thin slices. Use 6 pounds of sugar, 
1 cup of water and the juice of 4 
lemons for 8 pounds of pears. For 
flavoring use the lemon rinds, cut into 
narrow strips. One-eighth pound of 
ginger root, cut into pieces, should 
be added. Let the mixture simmer 
until it is the thickness of marma- 
lade. Pack while hot in hot jars. 
Seal immediately or allow contain- 
ers to stand in hot water bath for 30 
minutes at simmering point, 180 de- 
grees F. 

Grape Jam. — For this purpose at 
least one-half of the grapes should be 
under ripe. After washing the fruit 
and removing stems, separate the 
pulp from the skins. The pulp should 
then be cooked for 10 minutes and 
pressed through a colander or sieve 
for the removal of seeds. To each 
quart of skins add three-quarters of 
a cup of water. Boil until the skins 
are tender and then mix pulp and 
skins. After bringing this mixture to 
a boil add a pound of sugar to each 
quart. Then cook, with frequent 
stirring, until it meets the test for 
jelly or reaches a temperature of 221 
degrees F. The finished jam should 
be poured into sterilized jars. Allow 
jars, partially sealed, to stand in hot 
water bath for 30 minutes at 180 de- 
grees F. (simmering). 



VEGETABLE AND FRUIT PASTES 



For use as dessert or as a 
garnish on creams, custards, cakes 
and other dishes, the various fruit 
pastes are desirable. They con- 



10 



sist of boiled - down pulp with 
sugar. They may be made of 
individual fruits or several varieties 
mixed. To color them, for decora- 



tive effect, add harmless vegetable 
colors in red, green or yellow. The 
colors are stirred into the paste 
while it is still boiling, after removal 
from the stove. If added flavoring is 
desired it can also be stirred in at 
this time. Then pour the paste in a 
half-inch layer on a flat dish or slab 
of marble or glass, first rubbing the 
surface with a cloth dipped in salad 
oil to prevent sticking. Expose to 
the air for a couple ot days and then 
cut into such shape as may be de- 
sired, using a knife or small forms 
such as are used for cutting dough- 
nuts or cookies. Place the cut paste 
on paper, sprinkle with granulated 
sugar and allow it to stand for two 
days. Then dip into crystallized 
sugar and pack in a wooden box, with 
lining of parchment paper. Place 
sheets of this paper between layers. 

Apncot, Currant, Raspberry and 
Strawberry Pastes. — To each pound of 
fruit pulp which has been rubbed 
through a strainer add one pound of 
sugar. Cook over a slow fire 
until very thick. A test for thick- 
ness is to pass a spoon through the 
mass and see that the track of the 
spoon does not close up immediately. 

Tomato Paste. — Cook tomato pulp in 
pan over boiling water until quite 
thick, as indicated in test for apricot 
and other pastes. This will require 
about three hours. With each quart 
use one sliced onion, 4 tablespoonfuls 
of chopped sweet red peppers or one 



teaspoonful of paprika, Yi teaspoonful 
of salt, 1 teaspoonful of sugar and 1 
tablespoonful of mixed spices. The 
spices, tied in a bag, should be 
cooked with the pulp. Pack in small 
jars while hot and allow jars par- 
tially sealed to stand in hot water 
bath for 15 minutes at 212 degrees F- 

Quince Paste. — iWipe the fruit, cut 
into quarters, remove core and 
flower and cook in water until very 
tender. Rub the pulp through a sieve 
and add $i pound powdered sugar 
for each pound of pulp. Cook until 
very thick. Nut kernels, scalded and 
chopped, may be added. 

Apple Paste. — It is not necessary to 
use the highest grade apples. Cut 
the apples into quarters, remove 
stem, flower and core. Place imme- 
diately in cold water, to which a little 
salt has been added, and allow to re- 
main until ready to cook. Boil in 
covered vessel and over slow fire 
until tender, then rub through coarse 
sieve. Put into kettle, adding J4 
pound powdered sugar for each 
pound of pulp. Cook until firm, stir- 
ring steadily. 



This Manual was prepared by the 
Commission's experts on information 
obtained from Farmers' Bulletinsi.of- 
the United States Department of Ag- 
riculture, from Agricultural Colleges 
and Experiment Stations and from 
other sources. 



NATIONAL PRIZES FOR HOME CANNED FOOD GARDEN 

PRODUCTS. 



As a means of further stimulating- interest in Food Conservation, 
the National Emergency Food Garden Commission has announced 
that it will give $5000 and National Certificates of Merit as prizes 
for the best home canned vegetables grown in war gardens, located 
in villages, towns and cities. There will be 1000 prizes of $5.00 
each. With each prize will be awarded a certificate which will serve 
as a permanent record of the holder's success. 

For full details as to the awards write to Commission at 210-220 
Maryland Building, Washington, D. C. 

II 



President W y<!An ' Wes Food Conservation 



"Every pound of \ 
fruit preserved, add tha 
proclamation, July 30, 1 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



iture use, every jar of 
ry." — President Wilson's 




After J. N. Darling in New York Tribune 



Have you joined the Army of Food 
Producers and Food Savers? 

THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY FOOD GARDEN COMMISSION 
Affiliated with the Conservation Department of the 

American Forestry Association 

210-220 Maryland Building 

Washington, D. C. 



Charles Lathrop Pack, President 
Luther Burbank, Calif. 
Dr. Chari.es W. Eliot, Mass. 
Dr. Irving Fisher, Conn. 
Fred H. Goef, Ohio. 
John Hays Hammond, Mass. 
Fairfax Harrison, Va. 
Hon. Myron T. Herrick, Ohio 



Percival S. RidsdalE, Secretary 
Dr. John Grier Hibben, N. J. 
Emerson McMilun, N. Y. 
Charles Lathrop Pack, N. J. 
A. W. Shaw, 111. 

Mr. John Dickinson Sherman, 111. 
Capt. J. B. White, Mo. 
Hon. James Wilson, Iowa 



Additional copies of this Manual may be obtained upon request. Postage, 3c. 

Write for our Home Canning Manual and our Home Drying Manual, which 
give detailed instructions for Canning and Drying Vegetables and Fruits. Postage, 
2 cents each. 

We also issue a Home Garden Primer, which may be obtained upon request. 
Postage, 2 cents. 

A list of manufacturers of canning and drying devices and equipment may be 
obtained upon request 



.MJ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

111 mil in mi 



014 422 315 9 fc 






